FILM - Research & Planning: Film Pitch

INITIAL FILM IDEA.


"Pitch me, 25 words or less" - Steven Spielberg.


Here is a pitch for my film, in '25 words or less', based on initial ideas from my research.

I have been toying with the name 'Spaghetti Western', simply as a name to refer to the project. It will probably change at a later date.

Link to Pitch

FILM - Actors

The holidays been booked - so now I can choose out of the people who are coming who can be in my film. Hopefully the authentic location will make up for the unauthentic actors who will play the two main parts - Jim Higson and Louis Crompton, both 15. They may lack facial hair, rough skin and grit - but they can easily make up for it with their accomplished acting. I was never going to get Clint Eastwood of course - for a film without a budget.

FILM - Location Shoot

WHERE DO I FILM?
Here is my location shoot, taken in the half term before the summer. I cannot stress the importance of having a good location for my film, so I went with Puglia, Italy. What it is important to remember is that these pictures were taken in spring, when the flowers and grass were more bright and colourful than in the summer, where the sun dries out and kills most of the wildlife. However, to speed up the process in the summer, I wanted to find a place to shoot, so I could start planning a storyboard. On a walk around the local area, I found a location that I was happy with, where there was a circling of trees and large stone rocks, whilst still allowing a view into the distance.

(A click on a picture will enlarge it).

In these shots, I was testing out using the rock for shooting. I found a low angle shot from below the rock, looking up at a figure - the dog, it made the dog look very high up. I think it would be an effective place to shoot an antagonist, maybe as the first time we see him. The silhouette against the sky makes for a very effective shot, the low angle suggesting danger.

 In these pictures, you can see the difference between a sun lit shot and a shaded shot. I will make a shooting schedule to make sure I get the type of lighting that I want.

The ground on my desired shooting place is dark, earthy and rocky, giving connotations of a harsh environment. I will also want to bring protective mats to put down in case any characters are on the floor or I wish to film from the floor for a high angle shot, and possibly gardening gloves to remove any spiky plants or rocks.

This shot, with the sun coming through the trees, looks brilliant and I could use as a concluding shot to my film. However, as you can see, the figure becomes very dark and indistinguishable, so if I do use this shot, I may want to film in a medium/close-up.

Cactus's are assosciated with westerns. However, I only had the wrong type of cactus's. I think they look quite good though, but are hard to properly silhouette in a shot. Because they are not the type of cactus you might expect, it is uncllear exactly what it is. I think, although I tried testing them out, I might not use any shots of the cactus.

Here I am testing out shooting from the roof, for a more exciting shot option. I think they work very well as establishing shots, although many angles I cannot use because of what is in the frame...

...For example, in this shot, we can see palm trees and an umbrella amongst other things. 

I like this shot alot, it seems very symmetrical and framed, and could be used for a confrontation, with a character at each end.

 If I am to use these buildings, I might use them as a fort/prison. The iron bars suggest that it is a prison, and the large stone walls make it look strong, threatening, and also simple, as you wouldn't expect an old fort-prison to be extravagant.

I hope that you agree with me that I have a fantastic location for a Spaghetti Western, with a potential for lots of different exciting shots and filming styles...so thats one less important thing I have to worry about.